Devin Oliver spoke to a circle of diverse students with whom he had shared uninhibited and honest feelings about the nature of race.

"I have a gun on my shirt, and I'm a theatre major," Oliver (junior-theatre) said. "Even though that is what you may see on the outside, it is so different on the inside. I'm glad I came here, and I am going to change things in my life."

Last night, a special Race Relations Project, organized by Don Harrison (junior-sociology), a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Inc. fraternity, was held in the Sackett Building to discuss the current racial climate on campus.

While about ten students participated in the discussion, only six attended, a number that National Pan-Hellenic Council Executive Vice President Randy Winder said was low for several reasons.

"It's partially our fault that we didn't publicize as much, but it's not that individuals don't care," said Winder, also a member of Kappa Alpha Psi. "It's probably due to the weather. ... we usually put out information, but with the bad weather we lost two whole days of [flyering]."

Winder also stressed that the pre-spring break exam period contributed to the low turnout.

Although race relations discussions are usually connected with sociology classes, Harrison said that he wanted a racial dialogue among friends.

"The idea to hold [a dialogue] came up before the racial incident that occurred on campus," he said, referring to a recent incident in which Black Caucus President Ed Smith was allegedly verbally assaulted.

"In a small group setting, we can address the current racial issue everyone is dealing with, and reach out to others about racial issues," Harrison said.

However, personal issues and stances on race were emphasized more than recent campus events during the talk.

"It's different tonight because it's all black," said facilitator Beth Gregor (senior-sociology), referring to all of the students participating in the discussion last night. "But it's about people speaking to each other on a personal basis and having a real conversation about race."

Participants discussed, disseminated and broke down misconceptions within their own races, and continued to address the question "How different are you simply because of the color of your skin?"

Rebekah Stoner (sophomore-biobehavioral health) said that race is a major component upon first meeting, but that it is no reason to let it hinder a relationship.

"People are not ever going to treat you [initially] for the person that you are," she said. "Color will come into play, but there is no right or wrong answer. I take it one day at a time, and focus on whom I'm around. I make sure I check myself too, and keep moving forward."

The burden of representing the black race in a positive light was a common link for many of the participating students and facilitators.

"I feel as a black person, academically, there is an obligation to perform," said Aaron Dobbins, Jr. (sophomore-management information systems). "White people often have stereotypes from the media. In order to be accepted I have to step away those images -- I can't be that 'dawg' from TV. You are being hammered and pushed to downplay what people might think of you."

During the discussion, students acknowledged that there is evident separation of races on campus, but that there is a desire to bridge the gap between cultures.

"It's now our job to pull people on that bridge," Oliver said.