Emory’s Office of Multicultural Programs and Services (OMPS) will launch a retreat for upperclassmen that explores the intersection of multiple identities in January.

The retreat, called Intersections, is accepting applications until Wednesday. The application is available on the OMPS website.

The Office of Student Leadership and Services (OSLS), the Office of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Life, the Office of Religious Life and the Office of Access, Disability Services and Resources also collaborated in putting together the retreat.

According to Assistant Director of OMPS M. DeLa Sweeney, the program is an opportunity for students who were not able to attend the Crossroads retreat during their freshman year.

The Crossroads retreat is designed for first-year students to adjust to college life and develop team-building skills, according to the OMPS website.

OMPS will not reveal the specific activities during the retreat to ensure the experience is as genuine as possible, according to Sweeney.

“We want them to be present in the moment and really have the experience,” Sweeney said. “It allows for people to be real and vulnerable and learn from one another.”

He added that the activities on the retreat are designed to challenge students to see new perspectives in terms of social identities such as race, socioeconomic status, gender, sexual orientation and ability.

“Upperclass students are at typically a different developmental level,” Sweeney said. “They don’t need as much support transitioning into Emory, and they are interested in getting a different outcome out of the retreat.”

While the Intersections retreat is modeled after Crossroads, it is distinct in its focus on the coherence of different identities on Emory’s campus.

“It acknowledges the impact of the intersection of identities,” he said. “You’re not your race separate from your gender, separate from your class. You are these things combined.”

According to Sweeney, unlike Crossroads, which is entirely student-led, the leaders of Intersections are Emory staff members.

“We think the diversity that exists at Emory goes far beyond just the idea of what race looks like,” he said. “We wanted to really invite some of our partners who have a lot more experience and expertise in developing programming around those identities.”

This year, the partners include Assistant Director of OSLS Aysha Daniels, Assistant Dean and Director of OMPS James Francois, Assistant Dean and Director of OSLS Matt Garrett, Associate Dean of the Office of the Dean of the Chapel and Religious Life Lisa Garvin, Assistant Director of OSLS Natasha Hopkins, Interim Assistant Director of OMPS Jessica Morrison, Assistant Director of the Office of LGBT Life Danielle Steele and Sweeney.

The retreat will take place the weekend of Jan. 17. Students will be notified of their acceptance before the end of the semester. The application asks students a number of questions based on diversity and self-awareness about their own identities.

Sweeney said OMPS is also looking specifically at students who are invested in understanding Emory’s diversity and improving people’s understanding of it. He added that there are no prerequisites to apply. Because the retreat conflicts with recruitment for Greek organizations, Sweeney said he hopes to hold discussions with the Office of Sorority and Fraternity Life about getting Greek students involved in the retreat in the future.

“I think this year as the first year has a lot of potential,” Sweeney said. “With the team that’s been put together, I’m very excited and confident that it will be an amazing experience.”

– By Rupsha Basu 

Emory Wheel
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