Clemson Newsroom Article

http://www.clemson.edu/media-relations/4231/clemson-students-to-host-dialogue-event-on-identity/

reflecting on student participation

It has been very encouraging to see how many people have come out the support the CU Identity Project. As we have been presenting our project on the library bridge, students have been given the chance to actively break stereotypes on campus. The most interesting thing to me has been the diversity of identities that have been displayed on the board. Many things that I had previously never considered to be a part of someone’s identity have been put on the board. I feel that this does a good job of showing how different we all are and how our values can shape our identity and vice versa. I was also surprised by how many people were willing to write their “I am ___ but also ___.” statements on the board. I know I had a tough time coming up with my statement and wearing the shirt, but many of these people have seemed to have no problem writing multiple statements on the board. This just goes to show how proud Clemson students are of their differences!

Anticipation for the final event

We are now one week away from our culminating event and I am excited and anxious to see who attends and participates. Our class has been working hard to prepare for the event and has been generating buzz around campus through the library bridge events and social media. I am amazed to see that our weekly Facebook reach is over 2,000 each week. Through this process of planning the event and finally having a better understanding about the different identity issues and stereotypes in Clemson, I have gained a better understanding of my own identity. I have mentioned my anxiety over creating a profound and interesting “I am _____, but also _____” statement, but now I am starting to feel anxious about the culminating dialogue event. I want participants to feel the same relief and understanding I feel about my identity after the dialogue sessions. I hope that we are able to positively impact the attendants and offer an outlet for a safe and constructive discussion about difficult topics at Clemson.

During our mock dialogue session with Dr. Kendall’s class a few weeks ago, I found it difficult to get the students to participate in a meaningful way; however, toward the end of the session they began to open up a little more and move past obvious perceptions of identity. I think they also found it difficult to bring up topics that are not always talked about openly and in a nonjudgmental environment at Clemson such as race, sexual orientation, religion, etc. I’m hoping that the participants at the dialogue event will feel more inclined to open up and speak honestly and freely about their own identities and the identities of others at Clemson.

To prepare for this and ensure this success, we need to make sure the event environment is comfortable, open and inviting so the participants feel safe being honest and disclosing personal information. From this event I hope to learn more about dialogue and how and why people disclose certain information. I hope that by hearing individuals’ experiences and stories, we will have a better understanding about human communication and interaction. I also hope that the participants will find comfort or relief or a sense of belonging through relating to and sharing with others. This week before the event the public relations group and event/t-shirt group has a lot of work to do to ensure this will happen. I am excited to be a part of this human adventure symposium and look forward to see how it expands and improves over the next three years to make Clemson a leader in identity among universities and other communities.

After class tomorrow I hope to have a better idea of what to expect at the event next Wednesday. We have sent out invitations and publicized it on Facebook and Twitter. Hopefully we have reached out to enough students and community members who need an opportunity to voice their opinions, concerns, feelings and beliefs about identity and stereotypes in the Clemson community. I’m excited to see what’s to come next! 

April 10 and 11 on Library Bridge!

 The "I am __ but also__" banner

Clothes line! 

Statements of all kinds

As we are reading the hundreds of “I am ___ but also ___” statements,

we are reading a lot of powerful statements, but also a lot of more

light hearted responses. At first we struggled to decide whether or

not to include these responses in our culminating project. However, I

feel that the light hearted responses are just as important as the

more personal ones. Some of us are not as comfortable revealing

something so close to us whether or not it is anonymous, which is OK.

We have had a lot of fun reading light hearted responses in class, and

recognize that this is just as much a part of your identity as things

that may be more personal. However, some responses seem to stick out

more than others. For example as we were reading a lot of responses in

class, puzzled at some, and laughing at others “I am a rape victim,

but also recovering.” Although we try to give each response equal

importance, statements such as these cannot be ignored. Powerful

statements like this help us all put our personal identities in

prospective. Although we are all struggling in certain areas, none of

us can know exactly what other people struggle with every day. I feel

that this shows our project is working well to encourage difficult

conversations on the Clemson campus.

I am focused, but also dreaming.

My “I am _____, but also _____” statement took a lot of thought and time to develop. As I mentioned before, I struggled trying to come up with a statement that as interesting and all-inclusive about my personality. After class discussions and talking about my anxiety with friends and classmates, I realized that I did not have to develop a profound statement that was all-telling of my entire personality. I could come up with a statement that represented a part of me. The purpose of this exercise is to break stereotypes and make people feel comfortable talking about difficult topics. If I was worried about what people would think about my statement as an administrator of this project, then that would set me back and the students and Clemson community members we want to get involved.

My “I am _____, but also _____” statement is “I am focused, but also dreaming.” I think of myself as a very focused, driven and determined person who knows what I want. I am a hard worker and very disciplined when it comes to school, my career and what kind of person I want to be. I constantly meditate on ways to become the best person I can be and a better person in general. Even though I know that I want to become better and want to be successful, I still find myself dreaming about what else I could do with my life. As a communication studies major I know I want to work in corporate communications or public relations and have taken the steps in order to achieve these goals; however, I constantly think about taking time off after graduation to travel and do things out of my comfort zone. Or, I daydream thinking what it would be like to be a teacher, graphic designer or interior designer. I love what I do and what I will be able to do in the future because of my education and experiences, but I always leave room for other opportunities to come along or to fantasize about other things I am interested in. I think this statement is a good depiction of one aspect of my identity. Once I got over the anxiety of creating an interesting, deep, ultimate thought provoking statement, I was able to observe aspects of my own identity and articulate one in an accurate way.

Students and other members of the Clemson community were able to create great “I am _____, but also _____” statements as well. While reading some of the statements that were t-shirt and banner worthy, our class noticed several trends. The most prominent trend was religion, followed by race and geography. I expected these trends in Clemson, and am glad that students realize these topics are not talked about often in this community. There are several stereotypes in the Clemson community that are worthy of discussion and dialogue. Next week is our second library bridge event where we will be showcasing our identity clothesline, banner and accepting more “I am _____, but also _____” notecards. I am interested to see the reactions of students as they observe the t-shirts on the clothesline. I hope this will begin discussion and reflection that will be beneficial during our culmination dialogue event at the end of the month. 

Schedule of Events!

After reading many of our reflections the past few weeks, you may be wondering how to get involved in our project. We have several events coming up the during the month of April that we would love for you to participate in.

·    

     Library Bridge Event 2 : We will be on the library bridge April 10-11 from 10am-4pm. We would love for you to stop by and fill out a note card, write on our banner and read other people’s “I am ___ but also ___” statements

·     

Fill out a note card with your “I am ___ but also ___” statement and drop it by Strode 413

·      

Culminating Event: We have our culminating event on April 25 from 6-8pm in Hendrix Ballrooms A&B. We will have the “I am___but also___” clothesline display, a short, student-created film, and round-table dialogue discussion. Free food will be provided.

We can’t wait to see you there!

I am a student, but also a professional.

I am a student but also a professional.

I chose this as my identity statement as a result of certain experiences I have had in the past in internship and job settings. I have been placed in scenarios in the past in which it was my responsibility to meet with leaders in business communities or with press figures that have been entrenched in their field for years. As a student it was easy to feel like I was the odd man out. There is definitely a perception of slight inferiority from others upon realizing they are dealing with a student intern. Sometimes it cause a positive experience with the “professional” patronizing or helping a student through the process, but there is still a sense of not being on a level playing field.

After working in a field for over two years and learning the ins and outs of it, I feel as if I’ve earned my stripes and consider myself a professional within it. It is an interesting phenomenon thought that I’ve noticed how professional figures take me more seriously if they don’t realize I’m a current student. If a certain performance level is there, I do not see the difference it makes whether I’m working as a student or a full time position.

So for my identity statement, it was important for me to point this out. If a student is effective at what they do, why should it matter that they are also in school?

How to become involved!

If you are interested in learning more about the "I am __ but also __" project, we are having our second event on Library Bridge April 10th and 11th. Please come by to view our clothes line of t shirts and fill out an "I am __ but also __" card. 

To contact us we are on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Iambutalso

or

Email us at iambutalso@gmail.com

You can also leave your statement with us anonymously. Click on the following link to leave your comment.

http://cuidentity.blogspot.com/p/give-your-i-am-but-also-statement-here.html

Visual Group Thoughts

I am in the visual display group, and I think one of the biggest challenges we faced was trying to come up with a display that still related to last year’s project, yet at the same time made our project different and unique. I think the banner is a great idea because, in my opinion, it is the aspect of our project that is the most unique from last year. I think that the clothesline is a really interesting visual display because it definitely catches people’s attention. Often on campus we are bombarded with flyers and posters, but never before have I seen a clothesline on campus. I always felt that incorporating the clothesline into this year’s project was important because it still catches people’s attention, while at the same time referring back to last years project and tying the two together.

One issue that our group felt came from last year’s project was the fact that, until the clothesline was actually put up, students weren’t able to look at other student’s responses to the prompt. Having a banner on library bridge is important because students will be able to look at the responses already put up and find more inspiration or direction to where the project is going. I think that if I were asked to fill in the prompt “I am, but also” without any type of example, I would have a hard time answering. Furthermore, hopefully some of the responses will be so thought provoking they will encourage others to share more personal responses. For those who are not comfortable sharing their ideas in such a public way, we will provide note cards to write on. People in our class will write the answers on the note cards on the banner.

            

The second aspect of the visual group that sets us apart from last year was our incorporation of buttons into our project. We definitely did not want to get rid of the t-shirts: the problem with t-shirts is their expense. We want as many people as possible promoting our slogan around campus- buttons offer us a way to do that. Students will be able to write their responses on the buttons and then wear them on their shirts, backpacks, etc. Furthermore, the buttons are big enough that they are noticeable but not overwhelming.

            

I think that, overall, our group does a good job of talking over our problems, like figuring out whether to order buttons, stickers, wrist bands, etc., and coming to a decision that everyone feels comfortable with. One complaint I have about our group is our lack of communication with other groups. I think that going forward I am going to make a conscious effort to not only accomplish the tasks set out for our group individually, but communicate better with the PR and film groups to make sure they are comfortable and aware about the decisions we make. Our project won’t achieve anything if all members of the class don’t promote it, just like we are relying on other members outside of the visual group to help us with our display on library bridge. The second complaint I have stems from trying to make our project different from last year’s project. I think all of us take pride in this project and want it to be our own, but are having difficulty making it unique, while at the same time trying to make it tie in with what last year’s class has already done. At this point, it seems that all plans for the rest of the semester are already in place, so there is no point in readjusting anything we have already planned. I just wonder if there is something that we could do at the final event that would help set us apart. Hopefully if we get more people to interview for the film crew we will get more personal insight than last year’s group, and will be able to take the project in a new direction.

Reflecting on "I am __ but also__" Statements

As we receive "I am ___ but also__" statements, we become more enlightened to hear everyones reaction and ideas of what this project means to them. We have come to find that statements do no have to be so profound or deep in meaning to have powerful effects. Sometimes the most compelling statements are simple and often times mean lots to those who wrote them. Personally, I gain even more respect for the project as time progresses and Clemson's campus becomes more involved. 

Statements can be funny, some are serious, many are deep in meaning; but either way they have people talking on campus and that is what we want. Our hope is that Clemson will become comfortable in talking about identity in order to break certain stereotypes and create a more acceptable outlook on those around us. Feel free to comment on our blog and give us your "I am _ but also _" statement. 

Reflections on the Library Bridge Event

This was a big week for our Comm 495 class as it was our time working the library bridge and unveiling our Identity Project to Clemson’s campus. As I was working the table, I found myself relieved to finally get started and proud of the work our 495 class has put in so far. Sitting at our table and interacting with passerby’s was a unique experience in that I got to see the reactions of students and faculty, many of whom had never heard of our Identity Project. Variety was the name of the game today. Initial reactions on the bridge ranged from confused, to supportive, with one student exclaiming that he loved our project and had hoped we would be back again this year! It seemed as though conceptualizing the idea of one’s identity was difficult for some, yet simple for others.  Some students were very protective of their responses to the I am___, but also____ prompt, while others were very open and wrote them right on the banner with everyone watching. Examples written on the banner were comical, intellectual, ironic, thought provoking, and everything in between. If anything, the reactions and responses we received yesterday illustrate the diversity that exists on Clemson’s campus. Overall, I enjoyed seeing our Identity Project get off to such a great start and look forward to seeing its continued success through the remainder of the semester! 

Our First Dialogue Experience

A few weeks ago, we had the opportunity to do something unique that allowed us to put our “I am __ but also __” conversations into practice. Our 495 class was asked to go into a Comm 201 class and facilitate a dialogue session.

This was my first experience being a part of a dialogue session, much less leading a group, but I felt like it went really well. We split ourselves into 4 groups and the Comm 201 class was split into 4 groups. We started out by explaining last year’s project and then told them about this year’s project. Our group wasn’t familiar with the project last year, but they were fairly talkative and willing to share their opinions on identity issues. Most of them admitted that they had felt stereotyped at one point or another in their life.

One of the questions we asked them was “do you recall a time when you were discouraged from discussing/asking questions about identity?” The group had a hard time coming up with specific examples, but they felt like these issues are often hard to discuss because they require you to dig beneath the surface and enter into a more serious conversation, which is the goal of our project. One girl said that it’s not exactly “dinner table conversation.” She said it wasn’t something that her and her friends choose to discuss frequently because there is a level of discomfort and it can also affect relationships. Our group also said it’s hard to talk about identity issues sometimes because people have changing identities. They also discussed how it’s hard to rise above expectations and stereotypes at times. At the end of the session, we gave group members the option to fill out a “I am ____ but also ____” notecard.

I found the dialogue session to be very insightful and helpful to our project. We will be holding dialogue sessions at our culminating event, so this was good practice. I’m excited to be a part of more conversations to come as we make people aware of our campaign through conversations on the library bridge, wearing our T-shirts and buttons and leading discussions during our culminating event on April 25^th. 

Finding and Owning YOUR Identity

After the conversation we had in class on Thursday on revealing our personal phrases, many thoughts were going through my mind.  Up until that discussion, I had been giving my phrase a lot of thought but had never expressed these ideas. It was a very interesting experience to finally vocalize the phrases I had been thinking. I had always been considering identity as traits that set me apart; and not necessarily groups in which I pertain to. After many discussions over the past weeks, I have come to realize that race, sexuality, religion, etc., all contribute to your personality traits and allow you to give yourself an identity.

            “Give yourself an identity” is a phrase I have been struggling with most the entire semester. Every time I have been trying to come up with my own “I am _______, but also ________.” phrase, I knew that meant I had to start with who I “am”. This sounds so easy but when actual given the task, I found myself drawing blanks. Who am I? Am I really that, or do I just want to be that? I found myself battling between what identity I want to have, what identity I didn’t want to have, and trying to decide how that meant I really saw myself. Have I been choosing traits or groups to make up my identity because that’s how I want to / don’t want to associate myself? I think a powerful realization I had surrounded the idea that since I have never really associated myself with a group (i.e. Christian, heterosexual, etc.), then why start now?

My entire life growing up I have never been surrounded by religion, have never considered being straight as a defining characteristic in my life, being white as making me who I am, and so on. Even though I agree with my peers that all of the groups are important to my identity, I wouldn’t consider them being a central factor in which to make my statement from. After realizing this, I decided to keep looking for a phrase.

There was one particular comment that really stuck with me even after leaving the classroom discussion. Someone mentioned that we shouldn’t get caught up on thinking other people are putting insignificant things. Even though to us it may seem trivial or not important, to the person who wrote the statement it could mean the world. This was important to me for two reasons. First, this will definitely stick with me as I read all the statements people submit as the project continues. Even if I wasn’t thinking it originally, I am happy to know that if the thought of “Oh, that comment isn’t anything special” comes to my mind I will remember that it might be special to whoever wrote the statement. Secondly, this is helpful because I was so stressed on coming up with something that other people would read and think was significant, I was starting to forget that the statement is about me. By taking the pressure off myself for coming up with a phrase that I feel others will find interesting, hopefully it will allow me to truly find a statement that rings true to how I feel about my identity. I hope all my classmates, peers, and all you reading this an involved in the project come to this realization, because ultimately it encompasses one of the topics in which our project is striving for people to realize; their own identities, not others.

Last year --> This year

At the beginning of this project I had knowledge of last year’s project and the idea that it was created to break stereotypes. But the challenge for our class was to find a way to be similar enough so that those on campus recognized it, but also to make the project our own. By no means was it easy to think of new ideas without resorting back to last year’s project, and at times I felt that my thoughts were limited to a certain boundaries. After a few class discussions I began to think in terms of stereotypes and what I would want out of this project if I had to give a statement similar to I am but not. Thinking not only of what I am not, but the idea came to me to think in terms of what I am also. My original intentions of this idea were to allow those participating to say here is what I am but that's not what defines me. By incorporating “also” where “not” once was, we began to think outside of what meets the eye and connect deeper to accepting that yes while we are blonde, southern, nerdy, preppy, ditzy, northern, black, white, etc… we also possess many other qualities that others may not think of.

At the time, this seemed like a completely different spin to last years project, but my thoughts still kept drifting back to I am but not. This became quite frustrating because this is a new semester, this is our class project, and we wanted to make it ours. Class discussions became more detailed and our plan started to take shape. After this plan was revised over and over, we decided on our visual plan and our strategies to make ourselves known all over campus. After planning the visual details, I became more confident in our project. We finally had something to call our own, and each of us took a responsibility to see that this was an original and well-planned project that others could benefit from. As we began to talk to others and spread the word of our project, it seemed that many were somewhat familiar about last year’s project but did not participate because it was either too late or they weren’t sure how to become involved.

My personal goal this year is to keep our campus up to speed on this project and make sure those who wish to participate have the opportunity. I want to see our campus understand, participate, experience, and benefit from this project. I believe that Clemson is the perfect place to conduct this project, after all this is a school located in a rural area with all types of people who have at least one thing in common….their love for Clemson. 

This project becomes more real to me when I hear of participants I am but also statements, it makes the effort we are putting in worth it and also teaches me to think differently about others and see that no matter what group, background, organization, etc. he or she identifies with we all possess uniqueness. My goal is to help others to have the same experience and see this as well. In doing so, we may start to see others in a different light and have an entirely different perspective of what we once thought. I believe this project will prepare us for what is to come after Clemson and help us to see that we won’t always be surrounded by people like us and in order be open to new experiences we must see past our surface and seek and accept what truly defines a certain person.

Thoughts about Slogan

This project has made me think about myself
as a person, how I can best describe myself, and some of the challenges
that I face. When I first heard the slogan from last year, “I am but not,”
I did not really think deeply into it. I think the first slogan that I
thought of was “I am young but not lazy.” However, this was more aimed at a
stereotype of my generation and not very personal. After discussing the
slogan and the goals of the project with the class, I decided to think
about some of the challenges that I face regarding my ideals and identity.
The first thing that came to mind that I struggle with is my role as a
Christian. I have always tried my best to do what is right as a follower of
Christ. I go to church on Sundays usually and even attend a group meeting
occasionally. However, I still go out on the weekends sometimes to places
like the bars and to parties. I feel as if nothing is wrong with going out
and having fun as long as I don’t let this control my life. However, I have
had people call me a hypocrite sometimes because according to them I cannot
drink any alcohol whatsoever and go to a party if I am a Christian. I
sometimes may drink more than I should or make a few bad choices but I do
not feel that people should judge me for that. I may not be the best
Christian or always do what is right according to the Bible, but at least I
am trying and not using some bad choices as a reason to ignore my religion
altogether. After thinking about all of this, I have decided to write “I am
sometimes hypocritical, but also trying to change” on my shirt this year to
convey my message.

A student perspective...

Through class discussions and project brainstorming, my perceptions on my own identity and the identity of others have changed. At the beginning of this course I thought about identity solely in terms of race, nationality, gender and sexual orientation. I failed to see that identity could also be based on your social interactions, insecurities or successes, and daily struggles or perceptions. Class discussions and my own thoughts about identity and the identity project have made me open my eyes to all of the different perceptions on identity.

I have also become more aware of the stereotypes and difficult topics to talk about in Clemson. There is a divide among Greeks, international students, different races, religions and geographical regions.  Clemson is consistently ranked high in various polls for “happiest students” and “friendliest campus;” however, the aforementioned issues are definitely prevalent and not talked about. This identity project will allow people to express their identity in terms of “I am _____, but also _____” to break stereotypes, have a safe outlet to discuss issues in their lives or at Clemson, and hopefully connect with someone he/she would have never been able to reach otherwise.

Celebrating this aspect of the project and opening my eyes to different views on identity has created an anticipated anxiety about what my own “I am _____, but also _____” statement is going to be. I want my statement to be profound and enlightening, but I also don’t want to be too revealing to strangers. I am also struggling with the fact that I don’t think I am interesting enough to create a profound statement about my identity. I am not struggling with my race, ethnicity, gender or sexual orientation. I don’t feel like I need to prove my identity in these terms. Because of this I have been thinking about some of my personality traits that might be contradictory or competing. I am a very social person, but I enjoy my alone time as well. I am also very driven and motivated, but I enjoy being lazy some days. These competing traits have helped me work through some of my anxiety with this project, but I don’t feel this are interesting enough and really revealing of my identity.

I keep thinking about the difficult topics prevalent at Clemson and how I fit into this, but am having trouble thinking of a way I do. This struggle and subsequent anxiety has aided in guidance for the project because it has forced me to begin to think critically about issues at Clemson and how I want to identify myself within the Clemson community. I think having the poster up on library bridge, along with the note cards, will help students get ideas about their identity and will definitely help me articulate my identity in terms of “I am _____, but also _____.” I want to be able to celebrate my confidence, successes or values in these terms, but also want to spark meaningful dialogue and relate to another member of the Clemson community.

The biggest source of anxiety during this process is not being interesting enough or being too bland or predictable. I think that once I start seeing others’ responses and talking more about what thoughts come to mind when people see the statement, “I am _____, but also _____,” will help me address my feelings about identity. So for now, I will keep reflecting on how my personality fits into the grand scheme of things at Clemson and hopefully will be able to start piecing together how these traits form my identity. I need to just critically think about all of the thing that make me who I am without worrying about if that makes me an insightful innovator or offers a new, groundbreaking way of thinking. 

We will be posting about upcoming events and updates on our project so keep checking back for info.

We are also on facebook https://www.facebook.com/Iambutalso and twitter https://twitter.com/#!/CU_Identity. 

For those of you who would like to participate please leave your comments (which may be done so anonymously) and fill in your I am __ but also___ statement. 

Thank you!

CU Identity Project

Last year's group that conducted the "I am, but not" campaign was extremely effective in getting students on campus talking about the issue of stereotypes and how they aren't applicable to every member of a specific group. But while that campaign did an extraordinary job in that regard, there were areas of the subject that were left untouched. The overarching theme of this multi-year campaign is to explore the intricacies of the concept of identity. 

The idea of identity encompasses everything that makes a person who they are, going far beyond a basic stereotypical notion. And while "I am_, but not__" did an excellent job of breaking certain stereotypes, it left idea open to what that actually means. An individual merely expressing what they are not doesn't fully express their identity, there's more to it than that. So for this year's edition of CU Identity, we're going with the phrase "I am___, but also__." Instead of explaining what we aren't, this year we're going to attempt to delve even deeper into the identity concept to show who we are in addition to what society initially believes of us.

This will encourage people to seek unique characteristics about themselves and others without being confined to a particular stereotype. Students will be asked to fill out index cards, t-shirts, and buttons in order to show their support for the project, and create dialogue around campus about breaking through stereotypes and discovering identities. Our goal is to expand ways in which people think of others and challenge the constraints of racial, ethnic, and social identity.

via Pinterest