CUE supports personal growth with bulletins

Provocative pictures of “Glee” stars are showcased on a bulletin board in Read Center in an effort to allow residents to discuss their opinions on the racy portrayal of high school students.

Another bulletin board in Wright Quad showcases international campus issues.

These types of interactive discussion boards, sponsored by CommUNITY Education Program — or CUE — and located in every residence hall, are meant to foster a discussion among students said Barry Magee, assistant director for diversity education for CUE.

“This is a form of our passive programming that help educate and engage students in dialogue,” Magee said. “Sometimes residents have important things to say but don’t come to programming events. This provides opportunities for other engagement.”

The bulletin boards cover such topics as social justice and race issues.

“The topics are chosen based on current events and the needs of students within the residence halls, Bloomington or the world,” said junior and CUE staff member in Forest Quad Milo Ellis. “For instance, one topic we had in Forest was about homosexuality because of the recent suicides.”

The boards feature what CUE called thought-provoking questions as discussion points.

“Some residents are not used to looking at the world from a diversity lens,” Ellis said. “But the boards give them the information they need to dialogue about how these issues affect them.”

The CUE bulletin boards have been around for years, Magee said, but there has been more focus on them within the last eight years.

“Before we had boards that were more one-sided, and there wasn’t as much focus on the interactive aspect,” Magee said. “Now a majority of our boards are interactive.”

Overall, the CUE boards are meant to make residence halls a better place to be, Diversity Education Specialist Ashley Calkins said.

“Through the discussion boards, we try to make the residence halls a more welcoming and inclusive place for people with different identities,” Calkins said.

Besides passive programming, such as the discussion boards, CUE also has programs that include events such as film screening or panel discussions. The goal for CUE is two-fold, Magee said.

“First we bring educational dialogue into the residence halls,” Magee said.

“Second, we try to center this dialogue around things to build a stronger, more accepting community where residents can thrive and engage with each other in a civil
discourse.”