There were 360 attendees at the Exploring Diversity and Equity in Education, Careers and the Community conference last week held on the University of Nevada, Reno campus. Students and faculty had the opportunity to participate in discussions about diversity within classrooms, the workplace and in the community during this two-day conference. In addition to gaining knowledge on diversity-related topics, participants were able to develop action-orientated programs and goals relating to diversity.

During the event, participants listened to keynote speakers and panel discussions, featuring diversity specialists from across the community, and a wide-variety of diversity presentations. Attendees were able to learn more about existing programs and resources available at the University and throughout northern Nevada.  

Geneva Gay, education professor at the University of Washington in Seattle, who focuses on multicultural education, was one of the keynote speakers at the event. Gay spoke about "Cultural Responsiveness in College Classrooms and Communities."  

Gay promotes the continuous teachings of diversity throughout the span of life.  

"We have to stop assuming that people can handle diversity on an adult scale, on an ethical and moral scale," Gay said. "What we have to do is design our strategies to promote the equity and diversity development."  

Speakers and panelists emphasized the importance of thinking about diversity beyond the scope of race. Discussions included how to incorporate intellectual disabilities, varying income levels and sexual orientation into the conversation of diversity. The main goal of the conference was to give participants a deeper understanding of how to respect all diversities.  

University of Nevada, Reno President Marc Johnson proudly discussed programs such as the TRiO Scholars Program and the Deans Future Scholars Program as ways the University incorporates diversity.  

"It's part of the education process to put individuals seeking degrees in situations where they can work on teams with people of different ethnicities, different sexual orientation, different income levels so that when they leave here, they have an understanding that they are very capable individuals who can interact with different backgrounds," Johnson said.  

The conference was sponsored by the University's Cultural Diversity Committee. For more information, visit http://www.unr.edu/diversity-committees/cultural-diversity.