NACURH Programming on the Go DVD
Submission Cover Sheet
***Please save this document as: Region_School Name_Program Title
Title of Program:_____Fishing for Diveristy__________________________________________
Presenter’s Name: ___Melissa Gillmore, Andrea Infeld_________________________________
School Name: _______University of Oregon__________________________________________
Contact info:
[email protected]
[email protected]
1. What kind of program is this? Please HIGHLIGHT one of the following
NACURH U:
President
NCC
THEME:
Diversity & Multicultural Awareness
Team Building & Transitioning
NRHH
First Time Delegate
Current Issues
Start to Finish Programming
Personal Growth
Passive Programming
2. Please provide a brief description of the program.
Fishing for diversity allows residents to learn about the different aspects of their own diversity and those
of others while receiving a fun and simple pet. They fill a fish bowl with different colored rocks to illustrate
their identity. During an intellectual discussion, the negative aspects of categorizing people into limited
groups come to light.
3. Who was the program for? Name your target audience.
The target audience is all residents on campus.
4. How much did the program cost? Who funded it? Please provide a brief budget breakdown.
The budget was financed by the University of Oregon’s RHA.
5. How many people were involved in planning the program AND how long did it take to plan?
Five people (The VP of Programming and some of the Programming Representatives) planned the program
and planning began four months in advance.
6. Why was the program started on your campus? How does it benefit the university and/or community
population?
The program started during the 05-06 school year to teach students about the different aspects of their
own diversity and the identities of others around them.
7. What were some pros/cons of the program? How could the program be improved?
Overall the program went very well. Students were interested and all of the fish were taken. Planning
could have been done more in advance on some of the issues. A map of the program would have been
helpful if made ahead of time. More fish would be a good idea.
8. How could this program be adapted for other universities?
If a university has access to fish and bowls and a large meeting space, they can hold this program. It will
take lots of planning on their part but the end result is certainly worth the work.
9. Additional questions, comments, notes, or concerns:
University of Oregon
Melissa Gillmore
Andrea Infeld
Abstract
 Fishing for diversity allows residents to learn about the
different aspects of their own diversity and those of
others while receiving a fun and simple pet. They fill a
fish bowl with different colored rocks to illustrate their
identity. During an intellectual discussion, the
negative aspects of categorizing people into limited
groups come to light.
Set Up
Gender
 This table gave out different rocks based on the
student’s identification as Male, Female, or
Transgender.
Sexual Orientation
 This table gave out different rocks based on the
student’s identification as Heterosexual/Straight,
Lesbian/Gay, Queer, Bisexual, or Other
Political Affiliation
 This table gave out different rocks based on the
student’s identification as Very Conservative,
Conservative, Moderate, Liberal, or Very Liberal.
Socioeconomic Status
 This table gave out different rocks based on the
student’s identification as Upper Class, Upper Middle
Class, Middle Class, Lower Middle Class, or Lower
Class.
Religion
 This table gave out different rocks based on the
student’s identification as Christian, Jewish, Muslim,
Atheist/Agnostic, or Other
Regional Background
 This table gave out different rocks based on the
student’s identification as from the South, West Coast,
Midwest, New England, or Outside the US
Ethnicity
 This table gave out different rocks based on the
student’s identification as African American, Latin
American, Asian American, European American, or
Other
Hometown
 This table gave out different rocks based on the
student’s identification as from a Rural, Suburban, or
Urban hometown
Clubs/Organizations
Arab Student Union
College Democrats
College Republicans
The Collegiate Christian Fellowship
International Student Association
Hillel, The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life
The Career Center
Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Queer Questioning
Intersexed Ally
 And More…
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Discussion
 After students have received their rocks and bowls
they sit down and have a discussion lead by two guest
speakers. They talked interactively with the audience
and started off by asking what people thought of the
activity and if anything struck them that they wanted
to share. They asked questions like “Did anyone
identify as something that wasn’t a choice?” The
discussion brought to the table ideas for groups that
had been forgotten and other aspects of diversity that
could have been recognized.
The Basics
 The event went from 6 to 7:30
 5:30 – 6:00 set up and 7:30 – 8:00 take down
 We had 75 residents
 Fish were handed out after discussion to keep
residents there for educational aspect
Planning Process
Four Months Prior
 Pick a date
 Reserve a space
 Begin looking for fish bowls
Planning Process
Three Months Prior
 Order Fish Bowls
 Request Funds from RHA
Planning Process
Two Months Prior
 Choose diversity categories
 Choose campus entities to invite
Planning Process
One Month Prior
 Look for and order fish
 Contact campus entities
 Look for fish bowl rocks
Planning Process
Three Weeks Prior
 Get Purchase Orders from RHA
 Pick up and pay for bowls
 Start making advertisements
Planning Process
Two Weeks Prior
 Finish and post advertisements
 Pick up and pay for rocks
Planning Process
After Program
 Write thank you cards to guest
speakers and attending organizations
Budget
Future Improvements
 Look for bowl vendors very early
 Confirm they take Purchase Orders
 Contact student groups earlier
 Make a map of the room layout ahead of time!
 Buy more fish (more than 80)
Success!
 The University of Oregon is very proud of its success
with the Fishing for Diversity program and plans to
continue it in years to come. We are confident that
Fishing for Diversity will continue to enrich the
experiences of residents by offering them a chance to
recognize their own identity as well as those of others
while receiving a fun pet that will keep them company
for the remainder of the year. It is for this reason that
we proudly recommend Fishing for Diversity to your
campus. For further program details, please email
[email protected] or [email protected] .
Any Questions?