Diversity conference seeks presenters

10/18/2023 

Good news for anyone who was thinking of giving a presentation at November’s 2023 SUNY Cortland 13th Annual Student Diversity Conference, but hasn’t signed up yet.

The Call for Presentations registration deadline has been extended until Wednesday, Oct. 11, and the registration link is live.

Presentations should be 50 minutes in length. Submissions are open to all undergraduate and graduate students. Successful sessions must support participants in their development in at least one of the following areas:

• Articulating the advantages and impact of a diverse society
• Exhibiting respect and preserving the dignity of others
• Recognizing social systems and their influence on people
• Affirming and valuing the worth of individuals and communities

Proposals must include:

• Name(s) of presenter(s)
• Departmental and/or organizational affiliation
• Connection to learning outcomes, listed above
• Method of presentation
• Abstract (minimum of 250 words)
• Works-cited references

The annual student-led conference, on Saturday, Nov. 4, seeks to promote open-mindedness, celebrate diversity and promote awareness of divergent views on the university campus and within its communities.

The deadline to register to attend the conference is Saturday, Oct. 21.

Anyone can attend the conference. There is no registration cost for the SUNY Cortland Community. The registration cost for non-SUNY Cortland students is $25. The registration cost for non-SUNY Cortland faculty/staff, alumni and community members is $30. 

Those who wish to attend should visit the campus community registration website, a second site for groups or individuals who aren’t affiliated with SUNY Cortland, or the virtual registration site, which will only feature the welcome address and keynote speech. Terrance King will give the keynote speech at 1:30 p.m. on the topic of “We Shall Overcome: White Privilege and Spirit Murder in Higher Education.”

According to organizers, the conference allows participants to problematize, conceptualize, research and present across a wide range of disciplines. Diversity-related topics may involve but are not limited to race/ethnicity, class, gender, culture, sexuality or orientation, disabilities/abilities, religion, or age, explored through the prism of the presenter.

The conference aims to explore the dedication that the SUNY Cortland Community has to diversity in all its aspects, including the celebration of various identities, inclusion, and pathways to creating meaningful ways of coming together and celebrating one another.

For more information, contact multicultural.life@cortland.edu.