Last fall, Mason Korea's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Taskforce hosted the“Conversations at the Crossroads” event which was open to all Mason Korea students, faculty, and staff. The taskforce spent much of the semester gathering data and planning out this event so that it would encourage the whole community to learn what DEI means and how it impacts the Incheon Global Campus (IGC) and Mason Korea’s community in particular.
Throughout the event, students were given the opportunity to write down and verbally discuss their perspectives on how the school is currently doing and how it can improve regarding issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
In terms of what the school is already doing well, some community members said, “Whenever I see the way that people here at MK interact with each other in big or small exchanges, I feel this place is a community.” Participants said they feel included and heard at Mason Korea when there are events that represent their own communities, whenever they receive support and see passion from professors and students, when they are given spaces to discuss challenges they are facing, and when they see the diversity in the community around them.
As for what the school should improve on, one event attendee said, “The school is already so diverse on the surface, but Koreans and international students don't necessarily actively mix. There should be events aimed at bringing these groups together to discuss and interact.” The goal of these discussions was to begin tackling this issue, along with all other problems that were brought up throughout the collection of data before the event. The “Conversations at the Crossroads” was intended to be a metaphor for the way students, staff, and faculty could meet together at this intersection of different perspectives, coming out of it with a deeper understanding of what they already appreciate about each other as well as their respective struggles and desired improvements within the MK community.
“I think the event was important in that it was one of the first events that actively involved all three groups of Mason Korea (students, faculty, and staff) in both the preparation and participation side of the event. The collected information with respect to diversity, equity, and inclusion will help make changes that are special and tailored to the Mason Korea community,” said Seongjun Park, a student member of the DEI taskforce. “Overall, the event started the conversation about DEI successfully, and gave a lasting impact in the community through not only raising such issues, but also through the way we are solving such matters together, through communication.”